EU to grant Egypt 60M euro for school food program

Jul. 20, 2014 17:00

Minister of Education Mahmoud Abou el-Nasr - YOUM7/Amr Moustafa

By THE CAIRO POST

CAIRO: Education Minister Mahmoud Abou el-Nasr met Saturday with World Food Program (WFP) Resident Representative Lobna Mahmoud to discuss aspects of cooperation between the two sides to provide food support to Egyptian school children, Youm7 reported.

The meeting took up boosting mutual cooperation and a 60 million euro ($81 million) grant for combating child labor and for implementing a new national meal program for school children. It was attended by International Cooperation Unit Coordinator Nermin Noamany and General Directorate of Nutrition General Director Sobhy Abdel-Rahman.

“The agreement aims to economically empower mothers, curb child labor and make school more attractive to students,” Nasr said.

The school meals program will target national schools in 16 governorates, said Nasr, who added that “it was also agreed to prepare a memorandum of understanding between the ministry and the World Food Program.”

“The program is in line with the Egyptian Government’s policy to improve informal areas and to address unemployment with an emphasis on helping women and youth,” according to a press statement issued by the EU in 2013.